Through Demons Eyes
by Aki122
Summary: Naruto opened his eyes to a red sky and orange clouds, "Welcome to my world Kit, the World of demons." How did he get here? How will he get out! Kyuubi/Naruto father/son relationship, Yaoi. ADOPTED STORY Will not be updating for some time as a close friend of my family passed away.
1. Chapter 1

**Author note: **

**Hi everyone :) I adopted this fanfic from JourneyFawkes as I thought the story should have an ending.**

**Updating will not be regularly because I am still editing the old chapters and writing the new ones. Ideas and constructive critism are welcome :) NO FLAMES**

**Chapter 1.**

Naruto glanced at the missing nin they had been hunting, then to the eight year old he held hostage.

The boy was silently crying and Naruto could imagine him wanting his family. He yearned to reach for the child and take to his waiting parents, who would snatch their child form his arms once they recognized him.

But Kakashi-sensei had warned them about this; ninjas had to make sacrifices to obtain their targets. It was a sad truth that not many heard about. Ninja sacrificing small villages, families, comrades, or even their own lives for the sake of the mission.

"Give us the child and maybe we can talk." Kakashi-sensei yelled across to the desperate man.

A lie. Naruto knew the kid probably wouldn't live if the missing nin did not give up willingly.

He let his eyes look towards his teammates, Sasuke

was hard and focused, ready to kill; Sakura was pale, her fingers twitching and her eyes kept shifting towards the boy.

"A-alright! Take the boy!" the man yelled and shoved the kid forward. Naruto faintly heard the sizzle of the burning paper and barely caught the smell of smoke.

The nin had stuck a paper bomb to the child's back… just as they had predicted. In seconds Naruto reviewed the plan in his mind. He should jump over the released captive, make two kage-bunshin, and grab the nin while Sasuke charges with his attack. Kakashi and Sakura would spread out behind them, just incase the missing nin got loose.

He should… but he didn't. as soon as the boy took two stumbling steps, he lunged forward and grabbed the child in his arms.

"Naruto!" he ignored Kakashi's yell while he ripped the bomb off and wrapped himself protectively around the kid.

The bomb activated and he felt a burning sensation on his back before he was thrown away by the after shock. He struck a wall and heard a loud crack. A warm liquid ran down his neck as he slid down the wall and landed roughly on the ground. Darkness swept him away before the pain could reach him: he faintly heard crying, causing him to smile at the sound of life, before all thoughts stopped completely.

"Naruto!" Kakashi watched in horro as the bomb blew up and he had to throw his arms in front of his face because of the explosion. He was aware of the orange blur that flew past and he heard a loud crack, which he hoped was the wall Naruto had landed on.

"Sasuke! Sakura! Get the missing nin!" Sasuke attacked the retreating man and had him pinned on the ground with a kunai at his throat within 10 seconds, Sakura came out of shock and ran to obey orders. Kakashi ran towards where he saw Naruto fly past. He saw the rock wall Naruto had hit, blood was streaked down one spot, Naruto was on the ground with the hostage still clutched loosely in his arms. The boy clutched his savior's jacket, his head buried in Naruto's chest, still crying.

Kakashi pried the child away and told him to sit still, then gently rolled Naruto onto his back and grabbed his wrist. There was a pulse, but it was slowing and he saw that Naruto was already becoming paler. He felt his throat go dry as the pulse stopped and his student's chest stop falling. He dropped the small hand, and felt his own tremble, he didn't know if it was form anger or sadness.

He bowed his head and was about to yell out in anger when a feeling of pure killer instinct washed over him. It made him freeze and want to run at the same time, but he swallowed the impulse and slowly looked towards Naruto. But all he saw was a Naruto covered in red chakra, it swirled around him like a figure caressing a child. Slowly, the boy's chest began to rise and fall again, Kakashi never thought he would thank Kami for the Kyuubi. The demon's chakra receded and the malice seemed to drift away.

"Naruto, you idiot!" Kakashi looked up to see Sakura running up towards them with Sasuke dragging the rogue ninja behind him, non to gently. She stopped in front of them and covered her mouth in a silent scream; he looked down to see what was wrong and noticed he was kneeling in a pool of blood.

"Sakura it-" before he could finish she burst into tears! He grabbed her before she could jump on Naruto and injure him more, Sasuke froze and stared at Naruto. Sakura grabbed her sensei's jacket and made small sobbing sounds; Kakashi dropped to her level and stroked her hair reassuringly.

"Its ok Sakura-chan. He's alive, but we have to get him to the village." he looked towards Sasuke, "Pick up Naruto. We will drop the kid off; I want you to hurry back to Konoha."

Sasuke gently cradled Naruto then jumped off towards the trees and headed towards the villages at record speed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the late update. I'm very busy at school right now**

**Chapter 2. **

Naruto opened his eyes and saw a red sky with orange clouds staring back at him.

"Kit?... Kit have you awakened?" he heard a smooth voice near him and rose up. He shock his head, trying to rid it of the dizziness.

"Kit?" This time he looked towards where the sound was coming from and saw a familiar fox looking down at him.

"Kyuubi?" Naruto groaned out, the grass under him, although it was brown, was very soft and he would have preferred to go back to sleep.

'Wait…grass?' He looked around, shocked, and saw plains of brown grass with huge trees covered in brown leaves. He looked back towards Kyuubi and noticed that he was a lot smaller than usual. If he stood up, he would probably reach Kakashi's shoulders, not including his long ears and nine tail he bore.

"Wh-wheres the cell?!" Naruto asked suddenly afraid.

"We are not in your mind Kit. We are in my world, the world of Demons." Kyuubi replied.

Suddenly Naruto felt like he could faint.

Kakashi looked down at the slumbering blonde. Any other human would have died from having his skull cracked in half, but not him. The severe third degree burns on his back had become very light pink marks and were getting smaller as time passed. The only big problem he seemed to have was a deep coma.

Looking at his student, he could see a resemblance in Naruto's hair to his friend's Obito. They both defied gravity and loved to break the law. He smiled sadly and moved a stray hair from the blonde's face.

He thought of the mission, it didn't have to have ended this way… There were many things he could have done to save the boy; he was going to save the kid anyway. He just wanted to see if his team could follow those orders. It was a tough lesson to teach, and he didn't know if he should be upset or proud that Naruto had disobeyed orders.

The door opened and Kakashi sensed the familiar chakra of Sasuke enter the small hospital room. He had asked to have his team under a short vacation so one of them could be with Naruto at all times. They didn't quite understand why, but he did not tell them that he could not trust that the nurses and doctor would make sure the villagers didn't come because they thought Naruto wasn't dead enough.

"You're later Sasuke. That's usually my thing…" he looked at Sasuke and saw he had a bag in his hands.

"Hn. There's parties everywhere and Hokage-sama told me to bring this." He held up a goofy looking nightcap, "She also said she would have someone watch the Dope's apartment." Kakashi smiled and watched Sasuke sit in the chair in front of the small bed.

"Is Sakura-chan alright?" he asked on his way to the door.

"Haven't seen her."

"Well I'll go check on her then." Before he could open the door to leave, Sasuke made a noise.

"What is everyone celebrating Sensei? October 10th is not for two more weeks."

Kakashi smiled sadly, but did not respond, instead he opened the door and left.

Sasuke found himself watching Naruto breathe. He could still feel the light body in his arms and the blood that had soaked through his clothes.

When he had brought Naruto to the hospital, the stupid nurse had asked if **he** was ok, she had almost seemed to ignore the bleeding boy in his arms! He was beginning to get agitated with this hospital. A knock sounded and he almost growled for them to come in. he was going to yell at the nurse, but was surprised to see the Hyuuga girl instead.

"Um, h-hello Uchiha-san." At this she gave a deep bow, "How is N-Naruto-san?" she looked towards the boy in question, who was still sound asleep.

"I don't know, a nurse hasn't come in since I got here. How did you get in? It's not visiting hours." Hinata blushed and twiddled her fingers.

"Um, um, N-Nara-san snuck me i-in. He-He said he wa-wanted to check some of Na-Naruto-san's wounds. I to-told him the doctors would han-andle it b-but he said for me to d-do it." She began to squirm more noticeably form his intense stare.

"Where is Shikamaru now?" Sasuke asked, suspicious.

"Oh! H-he's guarding the door." She looked behind her back towards the door.

"Just check him." Sasuke moved aside and let her near the sleeping boy. He watched as she activated her byakugan and she looked over him. She then dug in her bag she had brought and grabbed little containers, even mixing a few. She laid some on the table and put most back in her bag.

"Give N-Naruto-san this whenever he gets a fever and have him drink this, h-his chakra is swirling f-funny and this should calm it down a little." She bowed and turned to Naruto, her face lit up and she bowed to him too.

"G-good luck N-Naruto-san." She whispered, a knock sounded and she grabbed her bag. But she stopped at the door.

"I-If you talk to a-a person in a coma, t-they will wa-wake up." The she hurried out of the room and Sasuke barely caught a glimpse of Shikamaru before they were both gone.

He turned back to Naruto and sat back down in the chair. He stared at the Dope for more than 15 minutes before he reached a hand out and moved a stray hair from the other's face.

"Naruto… you're an idiot."

"Wha?! How did I- Ah!" Naruto felt himself begin to panic and was about to bolt, but Kyuubi nuzzled it's snout to his cheek and it had a surprisingly calming effect.

"I do not know Kit. We were dying, after one of you stupid stunts, and I brought you back. Then we were here. Do not worry Kit, no one will kill you." Kyuubi told him like it was an obvious fact.

"Why?! I'm not a demon! I-" A loud growl stopped his rant and he froze.

"**You** have large chakra coils like a demon. **You** have chakra color like a demon. **You **bare my mark. You are as much demon as you are human!" Naruto stared at Kyuubi's outburst- Kyuubi had never had such an episode when they talked before. He was about to voice a denial but the demon fox interrupted again.

"If you do not believe me, then take a look for yourself." He then directed his head towards the left and Naruto followed his gaze warily. A large pond was a few feet away. He moved towards it cautiously and peered inside the clear, almost white, water. Instead of seeing himself, he saw a blonde fox staring at him.

Kyuubi was pretty sure most of the demon world heard the scream Naruto let out.

"How could this happen?! What did you do furba-" Naruto tuned to yell at the fox, but all he saw was a handsome man. The man was tall and wore a black formal kimono; he had long red hair and had red eyes. But the odd thing was the log fox ears and nine tails he had.

"Kyuubi?" Naruto asked confused.

"Yes, this is my other form, the human form. You-" Kyuubi suddenly stopped and his fox ears perked up. Then his face seemed to grow fur while it reformed; his hands and feet became smaller until they were paws again. It didn't take more than 10 seconds, it was like he just slid into another body!

The fox looked at him "Come, tis I not my land and we are not welcome here." A loud roar was sounded form a distance, so Naruto didn't hesitate to obey.

They ran for the trees and he wondered why he had not noticed before that he was on four legs. It was so natural, sure he did it when he and his team had to run through trees, but this should be harder…

"Stay on guard Kit, I do not know what has changed since I was sealed away within you. We may be attacked."

Naruto looked at Kyuubi in horror, "I thought you said this was your land!"

"It is, I still am the nine-tailed fox, but I have not been here to protect my right! Someone may have decided to take the position." Kyuubi growled.

They ran for miles, getting deeper in the forest. Naruto was just about to complain when the bigger fox suddenly stopped.

"Now Kit, I need you to walk behind me when we enter the clearing. Hold your head high and do not speak at all. This is a dangerous situation we're about to enter, so if you want to live do what I say." Naruto bit down the instinct to protest and do the exact opposite. He really didn't feel like dying today.

Kyuubi led them forward and they entered a clearing in the middle of the dense forest. Naruto almost ran back in the trees at what he saw. There were foxes of different sizes, and color lying beside each other, some wrestling. There were even men and women with fox ears and tail wandering around. It was like a little village with no houses!

But what stood out the most was the seven tailed gray fox sitting on a ledge that looked out over the whole clearing. Many of the demons gasped as he and Kyuubi walked by, some even bowed. A quiet murmuring flowed and many stopped what they were doing to stare, Naruto could fell many curious looks directed towards himself.

Suddenly the other fox, which Naruto had assumed was old because of his color, hopped down from his perch and transformed. A young gray haired man with yellow eyes and many scars approached them. His ears and tail were the same as his hair and he wore a dark blue kimono. He had short hair, unlike most of the demons Naruto could see in human form.

"I see you have returned Kyuubi." The seven-tail smiled, revealing sharp teeth, Naruto vaguely wondered what his teeth looked like now.

"I have indeed, Akyuudo, and I would appreciate it if you stepped down from my title." Kyuubi retorted smoothly. A low growl emitted from the other man and his yellow eyes seemed to bore holes into Naruto.

Suddenly he charged forward, transforming back into a fox! But Kyuubi was prepared; he transformed and dodged the attack. The two demons began to pace in a small circle, the gray one growling and Kyuubi circling silently. Kyuubi jumped forward and the other fox slashed out with his claws, but the bigger fox had already launched to the side. He twisted and had Akyuudo by the neck before anyone process what really had happened.

"You have lost." Kyuubi let go and motioned for Naruto to follow him.

As they walked by the defeated seven-tails, he growled at Naruto and slashed out with his claws. A monstrous roar was sounded behind him and he saw one of Kyuubi's red tails grab the paw. Kyuubi jumped on the terrified fox and grabbed him by the throat again, this time he ripped back his head and tore the demon's throat, killing him instantly.

The nine-tailed fox got off the corpse and continued walking, Naruto followed, trying to hold back his fear. The other demons cheered and bowed down on the ground towards their direction. Once they got to the mouth of the cave overlooking the clearing Kyuubi stopped. He looked towards his people and shook all his nine tails and let out a fearsome roar; receiving many in return.

Once inside Naruto couldn't control himself any longer, "Why dig you kill him?!"

Kyuubi turned back into the handsome man, "He attacked you after he had lost, it is a huge insult towards me."

"That's no reason to kill him! You could have done something else!" Naruto yelled, becoming angry.

"Kit, if I had not killed him, then he would have killed you." He held up a hand to silence Naruto's denial, "if not then, he would have come after you later. You do not understand the ways of demon." Naruto's anger quickly drained.

"You are not safe yet Kit, first you must transform into your human form. My people are expecting to see you today." Kyuubi looked at the mouth of the cave and made a soft whistle; an orange three-tailed fox entered the cave.

"You summoned me my lord?"

"Find my Kit a suitable kimono." The fox bowed its head low to Kyuubi and turned to Naruto to also bow low; then it ran out of the cave to obey.

"Now, since you are a ninja and have been practicing chakra control, this should be easy. Focus all your chakra to one point in your stomach; then force it to mold into the shape of a human. Do not stop until you have taken complete form."

"But-"

"You must do this before the three-tails comes back!" Kyuubi's stern look gave Naruto the idea of the importance of the matter.

He reached for his chakra; feeling the familiar swirl, he forced it to flow in a different shape, to fit in a different body. He could feel his small form morphing to fit the chakra, he watched as his paws turned into a hand. It felt like he was just sliding into another body completely, like bunshin, but solid.

Once the process was complete, he inspected himself. He was naked, but it didn't bother him since Kyuubi had been with him all his life anyway, a blonde fox tail flicked around his legs and he reached for his hair; large fox ears twitched under his touch and made him want to giggle. He stayed seated on the ground and looked towards Kyuubi. The fox gave him a nod of approval and opened his mouth to say something but a woman with orange hair and three tail ran in.

"I found the most beautiful light blue kimono for the young prince, and a few trinkets." She walked over to Naruto and he flinched away when her hand came towards him.

"It's alright, she is only going to dress you Kit. He is not used to such things form our traveling." Kyuubi smiled warmly and Naruto let the woman help him up.

He was suited in a long blue kimono, which matched his eyes; a winding collar fit on his neck, it twisted and turned in a pretty design and a small chain fell from the bottom tip, a blue sapphire was attached at the end. She also gave him two tight ankle bracelets, even though they could not be seen from under the kimono; they were gold like the collar. Last she placed a thin gold head band around his forehead, a tiny sapphire dangled from a small chain between his eyes.

She smiled and moved on to Kyuubi, Naruto twisted and turned, the kimono was very comfortable but reached past his feet. When he looked at Kyuubi he saw that he now had a gold band on each of the two front sections of his hair that hung in front of his shoulders and he had a new black kimono that hung loosely. The man looked like an actual king in some twisted way. The woman bowed and transformed back into the orange fox, the exited the cave with a fox grin set on her face. Naruto always wondered what people meant by his "Fox grin".

"Why?... Why are you helping me now Kyuubi? We are back in the demon world; could you not just kill me?" Naruto asked, he has wondered why Kyuubi had not killed him since it would mean that he would not also die now.

The great fox turned towards him, a scowl on his beautiful face, "I know just as much as you do, I do not know if I would die if I killed you while we were here or if I would be free. But, I would not kill you either way Kit. You bare my marks, my chakra flows through your veins, you are just as much mine as you were to your blood parents. Besides, the people would love to have a blonde fox as an heir, such a rare color." Kyuubi made a purring noise, almost like a laugh.

Naruto stood there shocked, of course he had had conversations with the fox back in his world, and Kyuubi had always been there for him, but he always thought if the demon had one chance, it would kill him, guilt started to build its way to his stomach.

"Would you like to see the village Kit? They are expecting you." Kyuubi began walking towards the mouth of the cave and Naruto followed, scared of being left alone.

As soon as they were out of the cave a swarm of adults surrounded them, many reached out to shake Kyuubi's hand, other punched his shoulder playfully, some bowed, and many of them looked like they would explode form questions.

One came forward, a brown four-tailed beautiful woman, "Where have you been for all this time Kyuubi-sama? To think we had to follow orders form a seven-tail, the shame!"

"I do not wish to talk of my travels or of the happening of my Kit." Kyuubi stated bluntly, and no one seemed upset or of wanting to argue. The people just turned to look at Naruto, he could feel his face turn red.

An orange four-tailed man smiled, "You know Kyuubi-sama, my daughter would make a pretty mate for your Kit, what is his name?" Many of the demons voiced an objection and offered their daughters, some even offered their sons" Naruto could definitely feel his face turn red now.

Kyuubi cleared his throat and the fighting stopped, "My Kit will decide his mate. His name is Naruto." Naruto moved behind Kyuubi more, his face becoming unbearably hot and many of the adults laughed.

"If you will excuse us, I would like to get acquainted with my village again." Kyuubi moved forward and everyone cleared out of their path. He led Naruto through the clearing, sometimes through the woods to certain spots where a river or pond was. There were children running all over the place, some as foxes; they came in all ages, even his own. Everyone stopped to stare at them, mainly Naruto, some kids waved or brought Kyuubi wild flowers, he was very popular around the children and women Naruto observed. The village was very beautiful, even though it looked more like it was fall, and was very much alive; but by the time Kyuubi had showed him most of the terrain it was nightfall, and they were headed back to the cave.

Kyuubi switched back to his fox form and lied down on the ground, Naruto took it as a cue and slipped back into his blonde fox form, it was much easier then turning into a human.

"Kyuubi-san, why did they offer their daughters and sons to me?" it had nagged Naruto all day.

The fox made a sort of laughing sound, "I think they were offering you to be the mate to their sons. It is because you are my Kit. In the demon world the more tails you have the more power you have. Shukaku being the lowest, toughest one-tail is their leader so they re always fighting; the highest being Kyuubi, if you have the highest number of tails you are the leader."

But the why do they want me? I'm a one-tail?"

"As the Kit to the current leader, you are presumed to be strong because I would train you, wanting you to be the heir after my time. Most of the time there is an heir, unless a fox kills the leader. Go to sleep for now Kit, it will be cold tonight."

Naruto yawned and curled up in a tight ball, it was already getting cold and he shivered through his fur. Kyuubi made a snort kind of sound and he could hear footsteps, the he felt the warmth wash over him. Kyuubi wrapped a tail around Naruto and pulled him closer, he stiffened, he had never had anyone so close to him before or hold him like a parent would a cold child. But he couldn't help but melt in to the long wanted touch.

"Hey Kyuu?" Naruto asked as sleep began to overcome him, he was very comfortable, "Were you an heir?"

Kyuubi nuzzled Naruto with his snout the lied his head down. Naruto worried that he had asked the wrong question and feared Kyuubi would leave, when he didn't move Naruto felt himself drift to sleep.

"No, I killed the last Kyuubi."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again :D**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing. I'm not sure when i'll be updating next as I still need to do my schoolwork etc. but i will try to update as soon as possible. :D**

**Chapter 3. **

_'__Run.' That was all he could think and all he could do. _

_"__Faster" he pleaded to himself. But his small legs just could not move fast enough. Although he had an advantage in speed over the rest of the kids his age, it was not enough to outrun all his tormentors. _

_He dodged around the other villagers, not bothering to yell out or beg for help; he had learned early in life that it would not come, only bring more hunters. Swooping, ducking, but never shoving, he maneuvered through the maze of people. No one helped him, some would try to get in his way or trip him. Their faces would all look at him differently. There were those who seemed to be ignoring the running child, annoyed when he got past them, excited by the chase, victorious at his punishment, or snide at his presence. _

_A well-aimed foot suddenly sent him flying. His small hands reached towards the ground, in hopes of catching himself and continue on running. Before he could the ground however, a hand grabbed the back of his collar and hurled him into a nearby ally. His body hit the wall, and a loud snap told him his arm was broken. He bit his lip to keep from crying, the punishment only got worse if he shed tears. Laughter rang out and he heard victorious yells as men gathered around him. _

_"__I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" no matter how much he admitted shame for the crime he did not know he had committed, the laughter only got louder. _

"Kit?"

Naruto jolted awake. He automatically froze, confused at his surroundings. The feel and smell of soft dirt told him he was no longer on his hard hotel bed, the soft chirping outside hinted towards him being in the woods, but the warmth around him was confusing. He vaguely wondered if the hunters had taken him outside Konoha walls… that would be a first. His eyes squeezed tighter, afraid to see what was coming.

"It is alright Kit. You are safe here with me, safe from your humans."

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, feeling something nuzzle his cheek. A large red fox staring at him, worry displayed in his eyes. Yesterday's events flooded back to him, but he did not feel any more assured.

Kyuubi sat up on his hind legs and stared at the smaller fox sadly.

Naruto dropped his gaze to the cave floor, trying to get his breathing under control. It was a lot more trouble than usual. Without the fox in his mind, screaming to go kill those who had haunted his dreams, it felt too real. Like there really was truth to their actions. For the first time in his life, he felt almost hopeless; this new kind of alone was like every blow he had ever received.

"Are you hungry Kit?" Kyuubi asked quietly. Naruto kept his head down, afraid to answer. But it seemed his stomach had other plans and protested loudly.

"Well then come. Better to hunt this early, not as many foxes running around. Just stay in your demon form." With that Kyuubi turned and walked toward the mouth of the cave.

Naruto stood slowly, testing his nerves, then trotted after the nine-tails. As soon as he got close Kyuubi shifted to a run. They jumped off the ledge and ran through the clearing.

Not many were out now, a couple of foxes here and there. Mist hovered in the clearing, damping Naruto's fur. From what he could see, the sky was a faint yellow orange, preparing for the day. The color struck him as strange, but he quickly brushed it off. The demons would probably think the same of his blue sky.

Once they entered the trees, Naruto relaxed a little. He let last night's memory slip away, just like the trees they flew past. His feet moved automatically, with no concentration required, almost gracefully. The idea of being so comfortable running like this disturbed him again. It just should not be this easy.

"Get ready Kit." Kyuubi whispered. Naruto had almost forgotten what they were doing.

Suddenly a rabbit jumped out of the bush they had been rushing for. Kyuubi lunged for the rabbit, not allowing it to move even three feet. He caught it by the neck, his paw slamming onto its side. He broke its neck before it could let out a cry.

Naruto stopped; amazed at the speed Kyuubi had completed his hunt. The large fox looked up at him, blood dripping from his teeth slightly.

"Now it is your turn Kit. Listen for the preys movements, smell where it is hiding."

He stared dumbly, did he really think _he_ could do _that_?!

If possible the nine tails seemed to roll his eyes, "Just try little one, you are a ninja are you not?"

Naruto tried to humor the other fox; he closed his eyes and stood motionless. His senses spread out to their limit, and everything became sharp and clear. It was a feeling he knew well, though he tried not to, he sometimes used this sharpness in his world. It had been a big scene when he reported to Kakashi and his team that the enemy was on their way. He had been leaning up against a tree, concentrating on his watch time. He was used to listening like this in the village to escape from his hunters, so it had not struck him as abnormal. The other ninjas were quite loud and reeked of alcohol, so he could hear their approach easily. His teammates did not believe him however, to them it looked like he was asleep and they claimed he had only dreamt it. They could not hear or see them approaching. It turned out the nin were still at least a mile or more away, depending on how fast they were moving. From then on he had tried to resist using his heightened senses, to remain as normal as possible, but now he was able to truly be himself.

Somewhere, he could hear the sound of running paws lightly hitting the ground. He guessed it was more fox demons trying to catch breakfast. The smell of Kyuubi's kill was strong with blood, but he could also smell the scent the rabbit carried before the blood had covered it. He searched for a match, something that was similar to the scent of the rabbit.

Then there it was! Naruto opened his eyes; Kyuubi already had his rabbit in his mouth, ready to move. They took off in the direction of the smell, Naruto's hunger triggering some hidden instinct. Kyuubi jogged behind, keeping a distance as to not muddle up the small scent with the blood of his.

"Slow down." Kyuubi advised.

Naruto could smell how close his rabbit was, and he slowed to a crawl. The bush they stopped behind gave of where his prey stood.

He crouched low, stiffened his shoulders, and readied for the jump. Before he could act, a black fox jumped out and grabbed the animal. The rabbit opened its mouth to scream, but its predator's teeth sunk into its neck, silencing the noise. The fox quickly tore its head back, ripping out the animal's throat and killing it instantly. It had killed the small creature just as easily and gracefully as Kyuubi had.

This fox was slightly bigger than Naruto, its head would probably linger above his own. It was completely black from head to tail-, its fur was sleek and well kept, it was very beautiful. This fox also bore two tails.

As if sensing Naruto's scanning eyes, it turned and stared straight at him. Violet eyes met blue for a moment, then the fox grabbed its meal and ran.

Kyuubi let out a bark of a laugh and it took Naruto a few seconds to register that it was his meal that had been stolen.

He was late.

Sakura had stayed all night with Naruto and he was going to relieve her early morning, so she could get some breakfast.

But he had gone to visit Obito and his old Sensei first, hoping for guidance. She would understand, she knew how easily he got lost when he went there.

The stone had many names on it, from past wars and important missions. Most however, had come from the night the nine-tailed fox demon had attacked, too many to count. Yet he could always pick two out from all the rest. It had become automatic, with how many times he had come to visit.

He had questioned how Obito would have reacted on a mission he had put his students through. Naruto reminded him so much of Obito, it was almost painful. His old friend more than likely would have done the exact same thing as his student.

Looking at his Sensei's name caused horrible guilt to consume Kakashi's whole body. He had sworn to protect Minato's son to the death. Yet he had let him end up in a coma. If it had not been for the demon fox, he would have failed completely.

Naruto and his father were total opposites, yet almost exactly the same. Poor Kushina had not gotten one of her traits to shine on Naruto. The boy looked just like his father, was great at coming up with brilliant plans in tight situations, and had that bold stubborn attitude as well. He was destined to be just as great as his Sensei was. If Naruto had grown up with his parents, he probably would have already been recognized as the next Hokage.

What worried Kakashi however, was the fox like attributes Naruto seemed to possess. He had that sexy no jutsu, which in legend demon foxes would disguise themselves as women to lure men. The kid was a well-known prankster and his slyness showed in it. The villagers had also grown to know Naruto's smile as a "fox grin". These thoughts had once tricked him into believing Naruto truly was the fox demon during the time of his ANBU days, when he had been entrusted to guard the child. He now questioned what was wrong with his sanity then or if he was truly blind for a short period of time.

Alas, it was such thoughts that had kept him all morning. It was almost time for Sasuke's shift, so he could always take her for lunch as an apology.

As he reached for the room they were keeping Naruto, he stopped. There was a soft sobbing coming from behind the door. He opened it slowly, making no noise, and peered inside. Sakura had her arms folded on the bed Naruto slept on; head buried in them, her shoulders shook as she cried quietly.

"I'm sorry Naruto. I never got to tell you, but I really am." She grabbed the none responsive boy's hand and hiccupped, "I don't care what my parents say, you're my friend…"

Naruto kept dreaming peacefully, oblivious to the girl beside him. Sakura seemed to become angry with this, her sobs stopped and she stood up, knocking the stool over.

"Why do you have to be such an idiot!? Why can't you just follow the rules Naruto!? I hate you! I hate you!" Kakashi was about to step in to stop her, fearing she might actually harm Naruto. But suddenly she crumbled to the floor, her knees buckling. She burst into fresh tears, her sobs becoming hysterically loud.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. Please open your eyes Naruto."

Kakashi walked in slowly, trying not to startle the crying girl. He crept up behind her and laid a hand on her shaking shoulder.

She slowly turned her head towards him, like it was a heavy burden to do so. It looked as if she had not gotten any sleep and had been crying for hours. He knelt down on one knee and she turned half her body towards him, laying her head on his chest and balled her hands in his jacket. A few more tears ran down her cheeks, like they were unable to stop now.

"He won't wake up Kakashi."

He patted her hair, holding her close and whispered, "Come on Sakura-chan, Sasuke will be here soon. I'll take you somewhere to feel better."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he picked her up bridal style. He glanced at the slumbering blonde on the bed and felt the guilt wash over him once again.

"Be safe Naruto."

**Hope you like it. **

**R&R 3**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the late update. I have had a lot to do (school and japanese classes), so I Hav not had the time to update before now :(**

**Chapter 4. **

It took Naruto several more minutes to find another meal. It was much harder to concentrate from his increasing anger.

Once he had figured out the other fox had stolen his intended prey, he had run after it blindly. His hopes had been to catch the black fox and beat it to a pulp for the rabbit, but he could never seem to catch it! There had been a few incidences where he had almost jumped for another fox, but had realized that they either did not have two tails or the violet eyes.

The goose chase had lasted until he had come to enough sense to track the smell. This had led to the horrible discovery that the scent was nowhere in range.

He had reluctantly returned to Kyuubi to continue to look for breakfast. When he had finally caught something, it had not been pretty. Instead of handling the attack gracefully like Kyuubi and the other fox, he had completely over killed the poor creature. Taking all his anger out on it.

He had been on the verge of tossing the little rabbit in the air when Kyuubi had made a comment to "not play with his food". Which had abruptly ended any ill feelings he had towards the meal.

The sun was already approaching the center of the sky as they headed into the clearing. The whole demon village seemed to be alive now. Many were roaming the area; small foxes and children with fox ears and tails were playing now. If he had his eyes closed it probably would have been like walking in any other town.

Whenever they would get close, the foxes would stop what they were doing and would either bow or nod towards the pair. From a distance they would always stare, a lot were directed at him. Naruto suddenly wished his fur were red like Kyuubi's.

Ahead of them a group of foxes near his size ran off in to the woods. Naruto wondered if they were going off to play some sort of game. He stared after them, a familiar feeling clawing its way into his heart once again.

"Kyuubi-sama!"

Naruto's train of thought was thankfully ended by a man's shout. He looked up in time to see a large six-tailed black fox approaching.

Kyuubi stopped their slow pace and laid his rabbit down gently, "Greetings Roiyaru. How are you this morning?"

Roiyaru stopped in front of them and bowed his head respectively. "I thought I would introduce your Kit to my daughter. She's not the best of fighters, but is turning into quite the pretty little fox."

His fox grin appeared and he looked behind himself. A fox peered out from behind the many tails the fox bore. Naruto's fur bristled as he noticed the eyes, violet. "Naruto-san, this is my oldest daughter, Akari." Akari came from behind her father when one of his tails nudged her slightly. He relaxed when he saw that she too only had one tail and as he looked closer, he could see that her eyes were not violet. They resembled more of a dark lavender.

"Hello Naruto-san." She spoke softly. Her voice reminded him of small bells singing in a light breeze.

"Well she is quite the cute thing. Maybe will see her tomorrow? But we must get back to the den for breakfast. There was a mishap in the forest and we have not eaten yet." Kyuubi chuckled slightly, which sounded like a clicking noise. Naruto held back a growl, recalling the morning's events.

"Of course my Lord. We shall not keep you any longer." The black fox bowed once more, as did his daughter, and they both ran off in the direction they had come.

Kyuubi began his pace again, but this time faster then before. Naruto was aware of other foxes that were making their way in the pairs direction.

When they entered the cave Naruto dropped hid rabbit. He looked around for anything that would even resembled a fire pit.

"Hey Kyuubi whe-" a loud crack sounded behind him and made him stop mid-sentence. He turned slowly, praying his thoughts were not true.

The larger fox was lying on the cave floor, head raised as he chewed on a bone from his own meal.

"Oh Kami… You don't expect me too!" Horror struck Naruto as he franticly searched the cave for some source for fire!

Kyuubi rolled his eyes at the little fox's antics, "Kit. Kit it's not that bad."

Naruto whirled back around staring at Kyuubi dumbly, his small muzzle hanging open.

"Naruto. You have eaten worse than this in your youth. You have already carried it here without complaint."

Disturbance filled him as Naruto realized he had in fact carried that bloody creature here without giving it a second thought. But he also thought back to his time on the streets, after the orphanage had kicked him out. He shunned away from the memories of the cold nights pilfering for any kind of food before he was caught. This was nothing compared to what he had resorted to, he supposed.

"Just stay in your fox form. It would look bad if you ruined your kimono." Kyuubi said between bites.

Naruto sniffed the rabbit, it still disturbed him to have to act so much like a demon. Horror filled him once again as another thought struck him.

"B-but Kyuu… isn't this a demon?"

The red fox grunted and looked at Naruto, leaving his meal for a moment. "Yes that is a demon. In your world it would probably be as big as one of your grown males in its good years. In your world it would also be considered the same as myself. However, that is not how it is done here. That demon does not have as much reasoning; it does as it pleases without a second thought. Here it is nothing more then a common animal, much like your own."

Naruto cursed inwardly as his last excuse for not eating the rabbit was torn away. He lied down in front of his catch and sniffed it again, buying time to think of another excuse.

"I would tell you to remove the fur, but you mutilated it so much it does not matter now." Kyuubi chuckled at his own joke.

Naruto was thankful his fur hid the heat that covered his face. His stomach protested loudly and ached from no food for almost 2 days. He swallowed the last of his pride and took a small nibble of the creature. No one would have to find out anyway right? He shuddered at the thought of the villager's reaction if they found out.

Surprisingly the rabbit wasn't bad; a little too soft, but over all it was somewhat tasty. It had a certain spiciness to it and he vaguely wondered if different animals had a different flavors.

Kyuubi transformed into his human form as Naruto licked his muzzle. He took it as a cue and transformed as well. His kimono was dirty from running in the woods and sleeping on the ground, he patted it down to try and make it seem better.

Kyuubi whistled and a minute later the fox from the other day appeared. She was already in her human form and had a bundle of clothes in her arms.

"How would you like to dress today my Lord?" she asked politely.

"Formal attire for myself, Kit, would you like to explore the village on your own today?"

Naruto was taken aback. He wanted to say no, fear from being alone with demons, but then he remembered the foxes that had run into the woods and curiosity won over the fear. He nodded shyly and the nine-tails turned back to their dresser.

"My Kit will need something nice but not formal."

The orange fox began to remove Naruto's old kimono and he fumbled to help. She fitted him into another blue kimono; this one resembled the color of bluebells. The necklace was replaced with another choker; this one was gold but with a sapphire fitted in the center. It was slightly thicker than the other and had little designs winding around the gem. His ankle bracelets were exchanged for cloth wrappings that was the same color as his kimono, it covered the top of his feet and a yellow tie wrapped around his ankles and made an "X" half way up his shins and tied off around the top. She tried to brush his hair but gave up after he kept giggling when she would touch his fox ears. It became very hard to concentrate because the woman also joined in after a couple of fits.

Kyuubi already had his new kimono on. It was the same color as his hair and had black winding designs up one sleeve. She fastened a gold clip to each of his front hair sections that rested over his shoulders. These had a diamond shaped ruby in each. His hair was braided halfway down its length to complete the look.

Even though Kyuubi's look on formal seemed quite simple, to Naruto the Great Fox still managed to look like some kind of God. Naruto wondered if he even came close to looking as good.

Once the fox was done inspecting her work, she bowed and Kyuubi bid her leave.

"Where will you be going in the village Kit?" Kyuubi asked and headed towards the mouth of the cave.

Naruto followed and they stopped at the ledge overlooking the village. He looked across the plain, the whole was bathed in the late morning light and even though the land was brown, it was strangely beautiful. It looked as though it was sunset during fall. The wild flowers and full-grown trees gave away that it was late summer however, just as his world. There were no visible dens on the outskirts of the field, yet it was now filled with demons. The foxes were an array of colors, brown, red, orange, grey, and even a few black and white. From what he could see there was non that were blonde like himself. Kyuubi's words from of "such a rare color" echoed in his mind and made him very uncomfortable. It made him wonder if he was the only one.

The demons moved with a sort of lazy grace, there did not seem to be a routine any of them followed. There seemed to be an open-air market set up across the field. Some foxes in human form were settled on the ground with few things in front of them on display. Kimonos, food and other things were offered, but as Naruto watched another fox gave a rabbit for one of the geese the vender sold.

It was odder to see some as humans and others as foxes. A couple walked together holding hands while a family of foxes basked in the sun. He let his gaze flow over the plain, following the tops of the trees until he spotted a clearing in them. Instead of grass there was a huge scar on the land and no trees grew on or near it. What stood out most were all the young foxes gathered there.

"I think I will go see the outside of the clearing." Naruto answered.

Kyuubi seemed to think for a moment before responding, "As long as you remain within my clan's territory, you may do as you wish. None of the foxes will harm you, but there are a few things you should be wary of."

Immediately Naruto thought of the grey fox. His eyes searched the clearing, taking in every fox present.

As if the large fox could read Naruto's mind, which he may be able to after so many year living in him, and said, "Do not worry Kit, it is nothing dangerous. Only you should not reveal too much about yourself. It is very odd for a leader to disappear and return with a kit. If anyone were to ask where I have been, simply reply that I was retrieving you from another clan. Do not reveal your age, foxes age much slower than humans. Also do not ask someone their's, it is rude. If you want something all you must do is ask, you are my Kit and will be given it. Do not pick a fight with another fox that has more tails than you."

Naruto nodded, relieved with the simple rules. As he turned to leave however he hard Kyuubi clear his throat awkwardly. He looked back to discover the fox with his arms crossed over his chest and looking out among his people still.

"Once you have finished come back to the den… it is not safe to wander by oneself at night in your position." A slight color rose on the red foxes cheeks, like it embarrassed him to udder such words.

This action wrapped chains around Naruto's feet, and he found himself unable to speak. To be worried about and wanted to come back was a new feeling. He played the words in his head once more to make sure he heard right and again for pleasure of it. A grin slowly broke across his face, which seemed to cause the demon king more discomfort. Small laughter spilled from his open lips and he nodded fiercely before running off this time.

"Sale, sale! Over here Sakura-chan!"

Sakura turned to see her friend once again surrounded by cute outfits. The girl had talent for finding the best things.

Team Seven had finally been forced to go on missions again. They were relatively smaller than the last one they had. Kakashi always seemed to make sure the missions did not take them to far from the village for too long of a period.

The team had been offered a day off for the upcoming festival. She and Sasuke had protested loudly, wanting anything to keep them from that horrid building and their own thoughts. Sakura had been regretting the dawn all night, but then Ino had called and offered a girls days out.

Now here she was, arms full of bags and helping Ino with her new look.

"Thanks for inviting me out Ino, it's been fun." Sakura said once she reached the kunoichi.

"No prob! Your one of the only female ninjas of our generation who don't spend all their time training and have a sense of fashion. I was in desperate need of girl time!" Shikamaru always-" Ino jabbed happily about her teammate. While it was true that out of most of the girls, her and Ino still did make time for their looks, but her blonde companion didn't really have to worry about training all the time. She was a natural purebred ninja, easily the best kunoichi of their generation. Sakura suspected out of all the females Sasuke could have chosen, Ino more than likely would have been it for her background.

Said girl was currently holding a knee length purple dress in front of herself. She sighed forlornly and twirled a section of her almost shoulder length hair around her finger and said, "This would have looked so cute with my long hair. What do you think Sakura-chan, do u think Shika-" she stopped mid-sentence and flushed a dark red, "a-a, Sasuke w-will like it?!"

Sakura suppressed a fit of laughter and nodded, not trusting her voice. Ino quickly shuffled though more clothes.

"H-how bout this one?" she grabbed hold of a bright orange short skirt but stopped her fingers lingering on it for a fraction of a second before grabbing the blue one. But it had been long enough for Sakura's well-trained eyes to see. Her gaze traced the orange skirt; memorizing the color and feeling herself follow the pull of memories that came with it.

"Its beautiful…" Sakura whispered, willing herself to look away from the color.

"Hey! You hungry? I'm starved! Lets go look around the village for any early festival stalls!" Ino stammered and locked arms with the pink nin. She quickly paid for the purple dress and blue skirt and drug the recovering girl out of the store.

Sakura breathed deeply once the emerged in the fresh air, letting the wind steal her thoughts.

As she was led through the streets of Konoha, Sakura awed at the decorations of this year's festival. Everyone was still busily working; building stalls, hanging lanterns, and cooking food. Everything was bigger and better the she could remember, everyone happier.

"Can you believe the luck?! We will finally get to celebrate the full riddance of the beast!"

"Thought I would never see the day! I may finally let my wife have that son she's always wanted!" Two men laughed happily, many odd conversations could be heard while Ino looked for a spot to eat.

How could they be so happy? Laugh and smile so freely? Could they not see that Konoha's sun was gone? Sakura's throat closed and her breathing became labored with each smiling face they passed. Why were they not unhappy? She wanted to grab people and shake sense into them. Be unhappy! Be unhappy!

"Sakura-chan?"

Sakura looked up to a bewildered Ino and was surprised to find her knees had given out on her. She was currently on the ground in the middle of the street, some of the people looking at her.

"I'm sorry Ino, but could you take me to the old grave stone? I have to meet someone there and I had forgotten." Sakura whispered, trying to hold onto herself.

"Oh its ok sweetie… I-I forgot I had to meet Shika-kun anyway." Ino said sadly and helped her friend up.

Sakura allowed herself to be led once again towards where she knew her Sensei would be.

Naruto peered through the dense trees into the clearing. There were foxes with 1 to 2 tails covering the rocks and dirt mounds. Loud growling and other noises were coming from inside the crowed demons.

Naruto crept closer, hoping to see what was all the excitement. Before he could get close enough however, a brown two tailed fox spotted him.

"Hey look what we got!" suddenly all noise stopped and everyone was staring at him.

"Its Kyuubi-sama's kit!"

All thoughts to run were foiled as all the foxes quickly circled him. Most were bigger then him, but not many had more tails then he did. Up close like this he could see all the small differences between them. The scars, cowlicks in their fur, even the way their fox faces looked.

"Look at that fur! I've never seen anything like it. Defiantly our Kyuubi's."

"If you are the Kyuubi's son you must be strong right?"

Suddenly they were all talking at once, asking him and each other questions. Finally one came forward and stopped the voices.

"Would you like to fight?" he asked. Naruto realized this was the same brown fox from earlier.

"Fight?" Naruto asked shyly still aware of all the demons surrounding him.

"A match, to test skills between the ages and determine who is to beat. It's for fun and to train. Have you never played?" The brown continued; he seemed to have appointed himself spokes-demon.

"Um no… it was undignified in my old village…" Naruto pulled the excuse right out of the air and prayed it worked.

The group all burst into a fit of laughter however and Naruto's plans to escape seemed to become urgent once again.

"You really are your Mothers Kit!" Don't worry Kyuubi-sama's genes are sure to have shown through!"

"Yeah, just try it. We'll go easy on you sweet thing!"

The last statement pushed all his thoughts to run away and his pride swelled inside his chest.

"Fine, who is the first fox goin' down!?" He barked.

All the foxes seemed shocked for a moment but they soon recovered and grinned widely. The air was filled with growls as they all offered to fight the young prince.

"The festival is soon…"

It was late morning and the sun was beginning to shine brightly through the window. The blonde haired boy seemed to only become golden as the suns rays danced across the sleeping form.

"You would probably be jumping up and down from excitement normally." Sasuke continued to speak to the boy.

Naruto remained silent, not seeming to notice the sun moving over his cheeks, realizing time was moving on without him.

Sasuke imagined what Naruto would be like at a festival, tried to remember catching a glimpse of him at such an event.

He had only attended a few throughout his years, but out of them all he could not recall ever seeing Naruto. It would have been very hard to miss the loud creature. He should have heard rambunctious laughter as he caught sight of him running away from a vender he just pranked. Or saw him trying every kind of food at every stand. It should have been impossible to miss this boy.

As he tried to think of the reasons for Naruto's disappearances, he realized he could not remember him during most of his own child hood. This boy that had done so much to get the attention of people had yet somehow he only came into his own focus now.

Sasuke reached out to the teammate he thought he had known and took his hand, felling the warmth that told he was still alive.

"Where were you Naruto?"

**R&R :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for not updating. Hope you like it :D**

**Chapter 5.**

The small fox yelped as it went tumbling on the ground. It remained down to signal its willing defeat.

"Wooh! Can no one defeat the next Kyuu!" Naruto barked.

He had defeated every fox that had challenged him so far, showing all he was not **Cute**. It was like the ninja fighting he was use to but with no weapons. He had been on all four plenty of times during missions in his own world, it was as natural as walking.

All the surrounding foxes yipped excitedly as they offered more challenges and were deciding who would have the next round. But before the decision was made the crowd suddenly became quite.

"You're pretty good."

Naruto looked up to see a black fox perched on the ledge of the dirt mound. The fur on his head was spiked, as well as on his ears and tail. He was slightly taller than Naruto, his muzzle would probably sit underneath this foxes, and he had a bigger body mass .Ruby red eyes peered down at the blonde, holding a look of confidence within them.

"And who are you?" Naruto asked huffily.

The black fox hopped into the crowd and they parted to allow him direct access to Naruto. Once he reached Naruto, he looked him over, even circling. Thankfully, Naruto's fur hid his burning cheeks but he did not protest. Fear of offending a demon custom he did not understand holding his tongue.

"I am Shiguri, the reining Champion of these fights. Your pretty good runt, so how bout it? Wanna try another level?"

Naruto nodded, silently for once, trying to calculate this foxes strength. They began to pace around one another, waiting for an opening.

Shiguri moved lightly, no sound was made as his paws swept across the ground, he seemed to float. His movements were slow and graceful. It seemed that this was a trait many of the fox demons exhibited.

Naruto's form was almost the exact opposite. He let his paw slide along the ground, ready to dig into the dirt for fast action. His head hung low and he moved fluidly, relaxing his muscles to let his chakra flow.

Suddenly the black fox let out a rumbling growl and lunged at Naruto. Naruto was quick however, and jumped into the air before the fox's teeth could grab his fur. As soon as he was directly above the black fox he dropped his weight, opening his jaws to clamp onto his opponents neck. The other fox was also fast unfortunately and made it past Naruto's anticipated landing spot. Shiguri ran right at the dirt mound and used his speed to run along the side of it, rounding back towards the blonde fox. Naruto dodged the swipe aimed at his muzzle and wrapped his tail around the others front paw, causing his opponent to fall. Naruto took his chance and jumped on Shiguri's fallen form before it had even hit the ground. As soon as he touched the black fur however, the fox whirled them around until he was on top and Naruto had his back pressed to the ground. He felt teeth gently resting on the skin of his neck and knew his was beat.

The crowd cheered and rushed close to the two foxes. Shiguri slipped off the smaller fox and transformed into his human form, Naruto took this as a signal and also transformed. Shiguri was at least 4 inches taller the Naruto, his hair was much like his fur, spiky. It laid slightly under his shoulders and spikes flicked out all the way back to his scalp, where they laid flat. His bangs parted on each side of his cheeks; making his memory tug at him oddly. His body was built but no overly. He wore a dark blue kimono with a metal plate on his chest tied on by a black wrap. The look Naruto had gotten from this demons eyes earlier was easily portray on his handsome face. Naruto felt meager in his dusty kimono and short hair, since everyone else seemed to have their grown long! Shiguri offered the blonde on the ground his hand and Naruto accepted, not really sure if he could manage on his own in the long kimono. The demon did not let go of his hand though. Instead he brought it to his mouth and kissed his fingers and said.

"You would be a great mate."

The other demons all made wolf calls and some seemed angered. Naruto felt his cheeks heat and wished he was still in fox form.

"Eh- ugh- Kyuubi-san is expecting me back now! I must excuse myself!" Naruto said as he turned and fled. Leaving the crowd of foxes snicker behind him.

The sun was past the middle of the sky now; he had spent most of the day fighting with the demons. Once he entered the village, he let out the breath of air he did not realize he was holding. Many foxes were running about now, mainly of the bigger size. They were coming in and out of the clearing in more of a hurry then earlier, most that were emerging form the trees had some sort of kill they had hunted. Naruto's stomach growled and he realized how long it had been since he had eaten. The thought of killing again was out of the question, he would retain as much of his humanity as possible. A young fox, even smaller then himself, walked out of the woods with his kimono filled with berries and other sort of fruits.

Thanking Kami for this sign, he trotted off towards the woods.

The sun peeked through the leaves and decorated the grass. It was beautiful, the orange and brown making a soft gold. He had to fight the erg to go curl up in one of the sun spots and take a nap.

He had never been allowed to wander in the forest of Konoha and usually got into trouble if he was seen heading in that direction. But, somehow, he had found a way to escape the walls around him. The woods called to him. Running through the trees, the grass tickling his legs, and the sun kissing his skin. He had spent his best days though out the years in the Konoha forest. Once he had become a certified ninja however, there had been no time to visit his woods.

Naruto tripped mid thought as his kimono caught on a thorn bush. He growled and jerked his kimono up and tucked it in his wrap until it was slightly above his knees. Satisfied with the newfound mobility, the search for food was ago once again.

Before long Naruto's ear picked up the sound of laughter. He followed the sound and found small children gathered around a black berry bush. Their hands and mouths were stained purple and they tossed berries into the air, catching and stealing them from each other. One, a cute brown haired girl with cropped hair, stuck her nose in the air and sniffed above her head. She turned her blue eyes towards Naruto and her mouth fell open.

"It's Naruto-sama!" she yelled and suddenly all the children were surrounding him.

"Wow such hair! It's like the Sun!"

"How did you get such a color Prince?"

Many similar questions were thrown at him and he began to debate on how fast young foxes could run until one tugged on his kimono.

She was a tiny girl who was barely as tall as his knees. She had snow-white hair and yellow eyes; she was the cutest thing he had ever seen.

"Yes?" Naruto said as he bent down to pick the small child up.

"Where is your mom?" she asked with huge innocent eyes.

"Ugh… she is back at my home village." Naruto answered.

"How did Kyuubi-sama meet her?" she continued.

Naruto paused for a second, then noticed the other young demons were also listening. He smiled and sat down in the middle of the group, gently maneuvering the girl in his arm to his lap, and he began his story.

He told of a beautiful white fox, with hair falling past her knees and eyes that shown as blue as his own. She had beauty that was well known all over the land of snow and it was said that nothing could compare. But such a gift also caused the ice king, as he was known, to want this creature for himself. She denied all of his offers however, she wanted true love and not the cold king. This angered the demon and he exiled the white fox from his land, sending her to wander the snow. Food was scarce in those lands and a fox on her own did not make for good hunting. Soon the beautiful women wilted and became to weak to move and the ice cavern she hid in became her prison. One day however, the red blazing sun entered hair lair. She had reached for it, wanting its warmth, and it had answered her cry. The next morning when she woke a blazing red fox was curled around her. When the new fox opened his eyes, she knew it was love. Kyuubi stayed with her until she was healthy enough to travel, and he promised to avenge her. Kyuubi stormed the ice village and challenged the evil ruler and it was a fierce duel, both the foxes being 9 tails. But the red fox was fighting for a reason, and this was enough for him to outdo his opponent. After his promise was fulfilled, he asked the white fox to come back to his own lands and be his mate. She accepted, but could not return to his land yet. Now that he had proclaimed her as his, she had joint ruling of the ice land. One day Kyuubi suddenly had to return to his land, but swore he would return for her once she found a suitable replacement.

As his words stopped flowing Naruto took in his audience. All the little ones were lying on their stomachs with wide eyes, some had their heads resting on his lap. Naruto nibbled on another blackberries as he let his tale sink in. He had always been good at stories.

"Wow, Kyuubi-sama is sooooo cool!"

"How romantic!"

He was pleased with the reactions, watching as they began reenacting the fight between the two foxes. Also glad they did not ask about his mother, he had not come up with that part yet. Out of the corner of Naruto's eye, he noticed another had joined the group. The fox was much too large to be a child, probably bigger then his own fox form. The fox had two tails and was as dark as the night. Its eyes were a piercing violet.

Naruto's train of thought abruptly halted and he felt his mouth hanging open. The black fox realized he had been seen and jumped up, running deeper into the forest. Naruto softly growled and took chase, reverting to a fox easily. The children squealed and giggled as Naruto ran through them, shouting for him to come play again.

He followed the scent blindly, relying only on his senses this time. His natural speed soon allowed him to spot his prey but it was still a ways away. This fox was obviously use to running in the forest, dodging obstacles easily. The chase did not last long; they appeared in an open field and the other fox disappeared in the tall grass and Naruto was forced to slow down. There were many wildflowers growing in the field, and it was diluting the scent of the black fox. The grass was too tall and thick for him to see so he transformed back into human.

He peered over the grass and searched for movement. A flash of black passed over his wandering vision and he lunged, landing right on top of another human.

"Oof!" Naruto's breath rushed out of his lungs as he hit a solid chest, letting him know the other fox was male.

"Are you mad?! You could have jumped on a snake!" The other male's voice was calm and left the expression of an echo. It had a pleasant affect.

Naruto looked straight at the fox and glared, "You stole my prey, prepare to die."

The other male paused, blinked twice, the chuckled, "A dramatic aren't you? Well forgive me young Prince, I was also hungry." he said and smiled softly.

Naruto stilled, all plans for revenge suddenly failing. He rolled off the other male and sat silently. Hunger was not a fun thing.

A hand blocked the grass Naruto was staring at and he was thankfully forced from his thoughts, "I am Sukuriyu, young Prince."

Naruto blinked then took the offered hand and shook it slowly, "Naruto. Don't call me young Prince."

Now he was able to get a good look at this new demon. He was tall and broad shouldered, but slim like a runner. His hair was ebony black and straight, held up in a ponytail that ended slightly past his shoulders. His eyes blazed with intelligence in their violet depths, very different from his calm expression. Sukuriyu waited calmly as Naruto practically looked him over, noticing this, he immediately dropped his gaze.

"Was it true?"

Naruto peeked back up and saw Sukuriyu staring at him, "Is what true?"

The other male paused for a moment, running his eyes across Naruto features. As if searching for permission.

"The story about you mother." he finally said.

"Ah…no."

For some reason that was the answer that slipped from his lips, not the story of the ice princess. Naruto vaguely wondered if those violet eyes had some sort of power as something else tugged at his mind.

"They… died… a long time ago." Naruto covered his mouth shocked. For some reason his mouth had become to big for its own good.

"I-I mean, Kyuubi-san's not! I just find it hard to believe that I still have a Father." he could feel his face slowly heating up.

Sukuriyu sat for a minute and looked out towards the open field, the sun gently sinking down the sky altering the skies colors. His eyes showed another battle raging in his mind as he processed this information.

"I understand. My Father is also dead."

"W-what happened?" Naruto's curiosity, getting the better of his common sense on such a matter, forced him to ask the question.

The other fox wiggled the two tails he possessed, one swiping to touch Naruto's face.

"I earned my second tail when he tried to kill my mother out of blind rage… I was probably your age."

Suddenly Sukuriyu looked puzzled and reached out to wipe a tear off the blondes cheek.

"Prince?"

Naruto cried. Cried for the child who never got to have a father. And cried for the child who never got to know either of his parents.

**R&R :D **


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